page_title: Houston Buffaloes
section_title: The beginning (1887–1905)
hierarchical_section_title: Houston Buffaloes / History / The beginning (1887–1905)
caption_attribution_description: English: The 1905 Houston Buffaloes team. As notated by numbers, the persons in this photograph are as follows: 1. Joseph Briskey; 2. Bill Sorrels; 3. Newt Hunter; 4. Ed Karger; 5. Bob Edmundson; 6. Steubenrach (team mascot); 7. Joseph Mowrey; 8. Art Weber; 9. Wade Moore; 10. Forrest Crawford; 11. Frank Truesdale; 12. Claude Rielly (Manager/Owner); 13. Clarence Nelson; 14. August Paulig. The team won the South Texas League that season.
context_page_description: The Houston Buffaloes, Houston Buffalos, or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team, and were the first minor league team to be affiliated with a Major League franchise, which was the St. Louis Cardinals. The club was founded in 1888, and played in the Texas League at various levels throughout the majority of its existence. Most recently, from 1959 through 1961, the team played in the American Association at the Triple-A level of high minor league baseball as an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Buffaloes derived their nickname from Buffalo Bayou, the principal waterway through Houston to the Houston Ship Channel, outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. The team's last home was Buffalo Stadium, built in 1928. Before that, they played at West End Park from 1905–1928, and at Herald Park prior to that.
  The Houston Buffaloes were purchased by the Houston Sports Association in 1961 to obtain the Houston metropolitan-area territorial rights for the new expansion team in Major League baseball and the National League, Houston Colt .45s. Several of those associated with the Buffaloes continued with the Colt .45s major league team including manager Harry Craft.
context_section_description: Houston's first professional baseball club was officially organized by a large group of local leaders on December 31, 1887. Judge E. P. Hill served as president.
  The Houston Buffaloes began their first season in 1888 under the name "Houston Babies". The unusual name stemmed from the fact that they were the last to join the new Texas League. Uniform colors were described as "maroon and light blue" in a news article. The Houston Babies played their first game ever against the Cincinnati Red Stockings at Houston Base Ball Park on March 6, 1888 in exhibition play, where they lost by a score of 8–2.  The first game of the Texas League was played between Houston and the Galveston Giants in Houston on April 1, 1888, in which the Babies proved to be victorious in a 4–1 score. This first season was financially difficult for the Texas League, and although the season was scheduled to last from April through mid-October 1888, Houston, along with every other team by this point, was forced to bow-out by early September.". On July 23, 1888, during mid-season, the team was completely reorganized at an evening meeting of stockholders at Houston City Hall.  Robert Adair, who had served as financial secretary and Texas League president until this point, purchased the majority stake in the club for $1,000 USD which was effective the next day.  Samuel Haine was then replaced as general manager by Pat Farrell.
  The 1889 season was a productive one for Houston.  Coming from San Antonio to the Magnolia City as manager of the team was John McCloskey.  McCloskey had been the chief founder of the Texas League the year prior, and helped the club attain their first finish as champions of the league.  Renamed as the "Mud Cats", Houston was still not without financial difficulty. Despite winning the Texas League in play, the Mud Cats were withheld the pennant until they paid their overdue membership fees for the season.
  McCloskey remained with Houston for the next season, but in 1891, the Texas League did not play due to an inability to get financial backing. Without a league to play, Houston did not field a team.  Despite McCloskey's return to Houston, a second title for the team, and a successful reorganization of the Texas League for 1892, the league remained unstable.  The next two seasons it ceased to exist, and the club followed suit.
  The 1895 seasonsaw the return of the Houston ball club. With McCloskey moving to manage his hometown Louisville Colonels of the National League, Houston promoted player Ollie Pickering to manage the team.  Pickering was known for having hit the most singles in a single game in 1892, and originated the "Texas Leaguer" term. A pattern of continuously changing names persisted, and the 1895 Houston team named themselves the "Magnolias" after the nickname of the city.  Following the season, a group of Houston businessmen consisting of President John Henry Kirby, Vice-President Si Packard, and Secretary/Treasurer Sam Taub, created the Houston Baseball Association, and took ownership of the team.  With a history of financial instability in Houston's previous years, the Houston Baseball Association's purpose was to support and maintain the club.
  The next season heralded more change for the team, as Pickering was called up to the big league by former manager McCloskey to play for the Louisville Colonels.  The 1896 season was the first in which the club would be known by the name of the "Houston Buffaloes". First baseman Charlie "Jugger" Shaffer took over as manager, and the Buffaloes claimed their third league title.
  From 1900 through 1902 Houston did not field a team, as the Texas League was again plagued by instability.  However, in November 1902, new owner Claude Rielly revived the club when another league was formed for the next season.  The club decided to continue as a member of the new rival to the Texas League known as the South Texas League along with Galveston, Beaumont, and San Antonio.
  Finishing with a 3rd-place league record for the 1903 season, Houston hired Wade Moore during the 1904 season, who had led San An
caption: The 1905 Houston Buffaloes won the South Texas League title that season
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